A bench warrant has been issued for the arrest of a man who sold a passport that was later used by the suspected head of the Kinahan cartel, Daniel Kinahan.

Seamus Walsh - of Mountain View Crescent in Dundalk, Co Louth - was due to be sentenced today for selling his passport in 2011.

On December 5th 2011, Seamus Walsh applied for a passport using falsified documents.

Following his arrest, he told the Guards he was paid €2,000 to do so.

The passport photo did not match the one on his Public Services Card.

Instead, it matched another application for Daniel Joseph Kinahan, who is widely believed to be the head of the Kinahan Organised Crime Group.

Walsh claimed he was "off his head" on drugs when he agreed to sell the passport. He insisted he did not know who was going to use it.

It was accepted that he has no connection with Daniel Kinahan or organised crime.

The 43-year-old was due to be sentenced today but was a no-show when his name was called.

The judge was told he made contact with his solicitor last night to say he would be attending a funeral but efforts to contact him today were unsuccessful.

The investigating Gardaí are now trying to track him down.